Karmunik
Karmunik was one of my very first stories with a somewhat completed plot, started in 2007 (actually on my very first day of junior high.) Karmunik began with a sketch of a blonde elf with raven feathers in his hair, drawn during a hopelessly boring 7th grade orientation in 2007. At the time I was heavily influenced by The Legend of Zelda and The Lord of the Rings, and so some parts of the story ended up as rather a very poorly made mesh of the two. For several months I co-wrote this with a friend, but after a point I picked it up myself and continued to work on it through 2008. I am still quite fond of some of the characters in this story, however hodge-podge it was. The patchy style and content is not helped by the fact that the story is written in a series of scenes which never quite got turned into a novel format. Prologue When I thought that this series of scenes might eventually be compiled into a book and published, I wrote a prologue of sorts for it: A good day to you, my fine reader. Congratulations on picking up my story! I do hope that you picked it up on your will, and that you aren’t feeling forced to read it for a Language Arts project or something boring like that. Just now, I’d like you to take a few moments for me. First, sit back and relax your mind. Before you jump into my story and devour it, I want you to get into your imaginative state. Let thoughts run through your mind without really keeping track of them. Think of your favorite fantastical things. Imagine. Let your mind swirl with thoughts in the brightest colors and textures you can imagine. Lose your sight and see in your mind’s eye, sharper and clearer than your own vision. Now, run your hand along the page of this book, or flip the pages and inhale the scent of it. Can you feel the pulse of the magic of the story within through your fingers? My story is dying to tell itself to you! It wants to ensnare you in its golden spider’s silk threads, weave tales in your imagination, creating a tapestry to hang in your mind. Now that you can feel the waves of magic in the book, think about how much magic there is inside of its story. This is a story, not a book. Not just words on a page, but thoughts that course through your veins, straight to your imagination. Forget everything that is around, my reader. Give yourself up to my story. Forget that you’re reading, and you’ll be in my world. Cameria welcomes you. Plot The plot begins when the Karmunik, a magical set of scales which balances the good and evil of Cameria (the land in which the story is set), is stolen by the villainess, Xaimona. Xaimona actually took the scales for the precious gemstones they held; she is obsessed with beauty and makes them into a necklace. Each culture in Cameria has its own gemstone, each of which is connected to one of the two on the Karmunik. However, when the Karmunik is taken, Cameria is thrown into chaos. The humans who dwell in Esedred are renowned for their magical powers, and send out search parties to look for the Karmunik. Grey, who lives in Esedred, despite his courage and intelligence, cannot control his magic, and so is not selected to go. However, in his many travels trying to learn about magic, Grey has made plenty of friends from various races, and decides to gather up his own party. First he travels to the Xa'alis mountain range, where he recruits Larian, the captain of the Elvish guard. He then visits the southernly village Virton, which is inhabited by millots (originally half-Elf, half-humans who have now interbred). There, he gets Falar, a seventeen-year-old who cares for his younger twin brother and sister, Kip and Kema, after their parents were killed by Xaimona's army of Lohks. The five leave Virton and find a Vocelican girl named Raleri on their way. Raleri escaped from a betrothal to a man she hated, named Dakai. Dakai, however, has imbued her engagement necklace with magic so it cannot be taken from her neck, branding her with his insignia. Larian, in an act of stubbornness in accordance to his character, breaks the chain, burning his palms deeply in the process. The party makes their way back to Xa'alis to rest, prepare, and find Larian's sister, Salae. Xa'alis is in the midst of a cultural celebration when the Dark Elves from the valley beneath the mountain attack the city. The entire party is captured and Larian is captured and bound by a morphing spell which turns him into a cat, thereby stripping him of both power and dignity. The queen mockingly places a collar with the Dark Onyx on his neck. When the party escapes, however, this backfires, as they recover one of the several gems they need to restore the Karmunik to its proper order. The party makes it sway to Jxark, where Xaimona is living. They are captured but eventually break free. In their attempts to escape Jxark, however, they are discovered by another Vocelican girl. Raleri discovers that the Vocelicans have been recruited by Xaimona and now all live in Jxark. Seeking refuge, the party makes their way to the Vocelican complex. There, they find Raleri's father, the Vocelican chieftain, and Dakai, both of whom are infuriated. Dakai, enraged that his necklace is gone, immediately spots Larian as the culprit. Out of spite, he chains Larian up and tells Raleri that they will be married the following day. That morning, Raleri's wedding dress is delivered to her. The garment is hardly a covering, revealing Dakai's true motives for her. Humiliated, Raleri avoids her friends. However, they still miraculously manage to escape. Larian gives Raleri his only cloak to cover her, and Grey notices that a sheepish sort of love is starting to develop between the two of them. The party manages to obtain several more gems and are on their way to Esedred so that Grey can prove himself and recruit more people to go to Jxark, when they meet a strange man in the forest outside the city. Peregrine is blind, but kind, and offers to help them. He gets them food, shelter, and medicine. Salae falls in love with him, but Larian passionately disapproves of the relationship. Salae lashes out at him, saying that she never stopped him from being with Raleri. Both Larian and Raleri are embarrassed by this. This strife is actually contrived by Xaimona, who infected Grey with a Night-Mare, which has been making its way around the group. Long story short, Peregine is actually Xaimona's son, sired by the king of a threatening from the north. He was born blind, so Elkari (the king) decided to leave him to die. This threw Xaimona into despair and sparked her desire for vengeance. Much of the war has been in Peregrine's name, without him even knowing it. In the end, the Karmunik is rescued but Cameria is still caught in the middle of the war, until Peregrine is able to make peace between his parents. Larian and Raleri are married, as are Peregrine and Salae. And they all live happily ever after. Versions Very early versions of the story began in the perspective of the villainess, Xaimona. The plot revolves around the Karmunik, the most powerful of a collection of gemstones that maintain a power balance in a land called Cameria. The story begins just after Xaimona has stolen the Karmunik from the mages at the city of Esedred. I don’t have a written record of this scene, but at some point on this journey, Falar questions Raleri about the necklace she always wears, and she eventually admits that it’s a wedding necklace cursed to burn her hands if she tries to remove it. Larian brashly takes the necklace off anway, gaining two long scars on his palms in the process. Once the party reaches Xa’alis they meet up with Larian’s sister, Salae. At one point I had the scene written down, but it seems to have been lost, along with much of my information about Xa’alis itself. Xa’alis is the dwelling place of the mountain elves, consisting of one enormous sprawling building; the mountain elves live indoors in a communal society. Most large families live together in a tower, as does Larian’s family, not for its size but its renown. Larian’s father was the commander of the army for a long time, now retired. The only other member of their immediate family is Tinutaten, Larian and Salae’s young, blind sister, whom their mother died giving birth to. Though perhaps Larian would like to count Lisasa (literally translating to “my love”), his pet bird, as family too. Having failed in their quest, the party then had to set out to find the elemental gemstones scattered throughout Cameria, and construct an entirely new Karmunik to balance out the old one. I don’t have very much plot writing from this time—most of the scenes give the story the feeling of a video game, with quests and dungeons. The following is the only part of them that I have left: Later versions of the story saw the addition of the character Peregrine, quite obviously inspired by Gareth from Quest for Camelot. Peregrine became Salae’s love interest but also added intrigue to the story. As it turns out, Peregrine is the son of Xaimona, who was once one of the fabled star elves. Xaimona was wed to the king of the northern country Isadril, King Elkari (left). When their son was born blind, Elkari commanded he be left in the forest to die, and Xaimona was so stricken with grief that she became the villainess she is. Thus, Cameria is caught in a war between Jxark and Isadril, the north and the south. The party found Peregrine in the forest on their way back to Esedred with all of the gems. This scene occurs a few weeks Peregrine joins them, though Larian is, as always, mistrustful of him. Salae and Peregrine are walking around the forest.